"Alexa?" a retired resident says to the digital assistant sitting on the table. "Tell me a joke."
Alexa, a cloud-based voice service, might respond with the one about the cat who stopped playing basketball. (Why? He threw up too many hairballs.) Or the one about how people survived before sandpaper. (They roughed it.)
It's just one of the ways older Americans are using technology to stay connected with the help of NeighborWorks organizations that are part of a pilot program with the AARP Foundation. The jokes are the lighter part, but experts point to medication reminders and telehealth as ways a digital assistant can be of help to seniors living on their own.
The program started in February in a housing community run by AHC Inc. Its intention, says Haley Mixson, assistant director of resident services at AHC, is to help older Americans stay connected. They use digital assistants like the Echo Dot for activities that include joke telling, conference calls, playing music or trivia games, or talking about the weather.
"They can have a conversation," Mixson says. "They can also use it to set reminders for when to take their medication. Or when it's someone's birthday." The idea is to give older Americans help that will allow them to continue to live on their own, she says.
Some residents are leery of the idea, feeling the digital assistants will gather too much of their data. (Amazon has said that Alexa uses recordings to help train its systems and improve its products.)
But residents trying out the technology are finding it fun and helpful, Mixson says. Initially, AHC intended residents to be able to use their voices to connect with AARP's Connect2Affect communities so they could keep up with activities, including lectures and exercise classes – a way of fighting isolation. When COVID-19 kept residents in their individual apartments, the technology took on an added purpose. Staff can set up reminders and make announcements in the community hub, keeping the residents updated.
"It was very important before COVID happened," Mixson says. "But following COVID it became even more essential to find ways to actively communicate with our senior residents and continue to help them get engaged. Their anxiety and stress levels are very high right now. Anything we can do to help them feel more connected and less isolated is just critical."
AHC keeps digital assistants in the offices of the resident services managers and in community spaces to get residents acclimated to the technology, even if they're not involved in the program, Mixson says. "There's a learning curve. Anything we can do to help get them more comfortable using this kind of communications tool can make a real difference."
Ryan Elza, social entrepreneur in residence at the AARP Foundation, (the charitable arm of AARP, the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Americans older than 50), says his organization launched the Connect2Affect Connected Communities™ program in 2019 specifically for providers of affordable housing to equip staff and residents with voice technology. AARP Foundation provides training and support and has applications for the voice tools specific to property management. "They're all designed to create a sense of community and connection," he says, while offering staff a way to connect with residents when they can't do it in person. The project is live in 20 properties with 600 active residents.
And now that social distancing has made personal interactions harder to sustain, digital connection is especially important."
"Technology plays an important and powerful role in addressing social isolation, especially now," Elza says. "The ways we're used to connecting have completely shifted, and those who don't have access to technology are having a more difficult time."
Communities that are already set up and active in the Connected Communities program are more prepared to support residents during the coronavirus pandemic, Elza says. "They say it's a solution they wish they had in every unit now."
Adeela Abbasi, a community development associate at AARP, is connecting with St. Mary Development Corp., a NeighborWorks organization in Ohio that is preparing to launch the program. "Hopefully by the end of May we'll have access." St. Mary is also receiving a grant to improve broadband access and provide free Wi-Fi to residents, and is working with a Del Mar Fellow through the Dayton Foundation.
Talking on the phone with a family member "isn't the same as being able to see a grandchild's face," Elza says. "Housing providers have recognized that having internet access available in their communities is a topline priority."
He says the goal is to get the right technology and the right programs in residents' hands to mitigate their isolation "and provide greater levels of connection." Examples of these tools include:
- Health and wellness programs, including meditation;
- Cognitive behavioral therapy programs;
- Medication reminders;
- Calendars for family members to pick up groceries and make sure loved ones attending medical appointments;
- Technology to read newsletters and information to people who are blind or have low vision;
- Transcription services for people who are hard of hearing so they can read what is happening; and
- The ability for managers to contact residents
In Ohio, the Amazon Echoes are silent, waiting to be installed in the housing units at St. Mary Development Corp. "We were about to launch when COVID hit," says St. Mary President Tim Bete, who hopes the digital assistants will also help with things like telehealth and making it easy for staff to communicate with residents.
AARP and St. Mary are preparing to do the training and learning remotely, hpefully by the end of the month. Meanwhile, they are checking on seniors through phone calls and more traditional means. At AHC, AARP remotely trained a handful of people in setting up their digital assistants and that went smoothly, Mixson says.
"Technology is going to become very big," says Bete. "That's how people are connecting now. For people who are already isolated, that's a big deal."
Frieda R. Bennett, a Del Mar Encore fellow, examined how telehealth and emerging technologies could reduce disparity for St. Mary's residents. The study identified the lack of transportation as an issue keeping individuals from getting the help they needed and concluded that emerging technologies could help fill that gap. Many residents didn't have experience with those technologies, in part due to costs. And many residents were willing to learn, if they were in a class with peers. According to a survey Bennett conducted about smart home technologies, from smart thermostats to fitness trackers and virtual physicians, residents often marked that they didn't know enough about the particular technology to have an opinion.
"Technology is a significant factor when addressing social determinants of health," says Bete. "People use technology to access transportation, health care, food and medications. If our residents don't have access to technology, they're left behind."
Access to technology is a big obstacle. "How do you know you're interested in using an iPad if you've never used one?" Bete asks. "Or if you don't know what an app is? And if your income is only $12,000 a year, you're not likely to spend money on internet access." That's why his organization has pursued grants to help provide free Wi-Fi and hardware. They will continue to monitor the impact.
During coronavirus shutdowns, as the need to stay socially connected becomes more important, Elza further points to AARP's Connect2Affect platform, which features ideas on connectivity and assessments for people to figure out their risk of social isolation. "We're actively trying to understand the gaps out there," he says. "and figure out how we can fill those gaps."
Sharon Kent, senior manager for curriculum and training for NeighborWorks America's southern region, offers a course every year or so on isolation and how to avoid it. The current COVID-related shelter-in-place guidelines make connecting with our neighbors more challenging, she says, but not impossible. She offers these tips for staying connected.
Stay connected with the neighbors you currently have a relationship with. Check in regularly by texting, calling or via social media. Offer to pick up items from the grocery store on your next run. Ask neighbors about those they keep in touch with and start building a contact list. Create a ‘Get to know your neighbor" meet and greet via Zoom or other communications application. Ask what each neighbor is doing to stay emotionally and physically healthy during this time. Encourage neighbors to invite others they know to the online group. Schedule regular "meetings" and virtual events like lunch-ins, book clubs, dance parties and more.
Stay visible with your neighbors. Go for regular walks in the neighborhood and take note when things seem out of the ordinary. If your neighbors have security cameras, be sure to wave as you pass by. If they have Ring cameras that gives them the ability to "talk" to those at their door, ring the bell and check on them.
Stay vigilant, now more than ever. With most people staying in it's easier to notice when there's something unfamiliar going on in the neighborhood. If you notice people, vehicles or situations that are out of the ordinary, be sure to alert your neighbors, and if necessary, the police. "We can all contribute in creating a social construct within our neighborhoods and communities that will keep us safe and connected," Kent says.
